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NATURALIZATION REQUIREMENTS AND GENERAL INFORMATION

Table of Contents
Part I
1 General Information
2 How to Apply for Naturalization
Filing the Application--Fingerprints
Citizenship of Applicant's Children
Examination on the Application
Oath Ceremony
3 General Naturalization Requirements
Age
Lawful Admission
Residence & Physical Presence
Permission to be Absent
(a) Employment by American Organizations
(b) Employment by the U. S. Government
(c) Service for Religious Organizations
Character and Loyalty
Communist Party and Similar Membership
Deportation
Literacy and Educational Requirements
Oath of Allegiance
4 Naturalization Requirements for Special Classes
Wives and Husbands of U.S. Citizens
Marriage to a Citizen
Marriage to a Citizen Stationed Abroad
Overseas Assignment of Citizen Spouses
Surviving Spouse of US. Citizen Service Member
Naturalization of Children of Citizen Parents
Naturalization of Adopted Children of Citizen Parents
Former U. S. Citizens
Veterans of Foreign Armed Forces
American Women Who Married Aliens
Service Members of the Military or Veterans
Military Service During Certain Periods
Ineligible Service Members
Service for Three Years
(1) When Three Years' Service Continuous
(2) When Three Years' Not Continuous.
(3) Application Made more than Six Months After
Service Ends
Mariners
Employees of Organizations Promoting United States
Interests Abroad
Posthumous Citizenship
5 Naturalization and Citizenship Paper Lost, Mutilated, or
Destroyed, or Where Name has been Changed
6 Declaration of Intention
7 Certificates of Citizenship for Children and Wives of
Citizens
8 Legalizing Stay in the United States
9 Offices of the Immigration and Naturalization Service

General Information
Part I
This booklet provides information in brief and plain
language about the principal requirements for naturalization;
the special classes of persons who are exempt from some of
those requirements; and what a person must do to become a
naturalized citizen of the United States. It also includes a
brief discussion on how to obtain a copy of a naturalization or
citizenship paper (part 5); how to file a declaration of
intention (part 6); how to obtain a Certificate of Citizenship
(part 7); and how to legalize an alien's residence in the
United States so that he or she may be able to apply for
naturalization (part 8).
The naturalization laws equally apply to both men and
women and to all races. All persons follow the same procedures
and become naturalized citizens of the United States in the
same way.
An alien living in the United States must keep the
Immigration and Naturalization Service informed of changes in
his or her address. A lawful permanent resident is given an
Alien Registration Receipt Card. This card has a number on it
which should be shown in all applications and when writing to
the Immigration and Naturalization Service about a case.
Anyone who cannot find the answer to a naturalization
related problem in this pamphlet or who may desire any
additional information, may obtain it from the nearest office
of the Immigration and Naturalization Service. A list of
offices of the Immigration and Naturalization Service appears
in Part 9.

How to Apply for Naturalization
Part 2

The requirements for naturalization that need fuller
explanation are discussed in more detail at a later point. The
steps to become naturalized, however, are the same for all
persons and are set out below.

Filing the Application - Fingerprints

The first step is to get an application and, except for
children under 14 years of age, a fingerprint card from the
nearest office of the Immigration and Naturalization Service or
from a social service agency in the community. The application
to be used is Form N-400, "Application for Naturalization." For
an optional procedure to gain citizenship for an adopted child
of U.S. citizen parents (or parent, if single), see page 24.
The application, the fingerprint card, and the Biographic
Information form if appropriate, which are furnished without
charge, must be filled out according to the instructions and
filed with the office of the Immigration and Naturalization
Service with jurisdiction over the applicant's residence. Three
unsigned photographs as described in the application must be
submitted. A fee is required and must be submitted with the
application. No currency should be sent by mail.

Citizenship of Applicant's Children

If a parent who is applying for naturalization expects to
be naturalized before any of his or her children reaches age
18, it is likely that such children who are living in the
United States will automatically become citizens. This would
happen if the children's other parent already is a citizen, or
is deceased, or if both parents are naturalized at the same
time, or if the parents are legally separated and the parent
being naturalized has the legal custody of the children, or if
the parent being naturalized is the mother of the children and
the children were born out of wedlock.
These children may obtain certificates of citizenship in
their own names, showing that they became citizens on the same
date that the parent was naturalized, by filing Form N-600,
"Application for Certificate of Citizenship," in accordance
with instructions on the form. The application must be filed
after the naturalization of the parent(s). A fee is required
and must be submitted with the application. No currency should
be sent in the mail. The children involved who are over age 14
will appear before the naturalization examiner and must take
the same oath of allegiance as is required of persons who
naturalize.

Examination on the Application

After certain actions on the application have been
completed by the Immigration and Naturalization Service, the
applicant must appear before a naturalization examiner for
examination on the application. The Immigration and
Naturalization Service will advise the applicant when and where
to appear for the examination. The applicant will be examined
on the information submitted on the application for
naturalization, and on his or her English literacy and
knowledge of the form of government and history of the United
States.
If the examiner finds that an applicant has not
demonstrated eligibility for naturalization, the application
will be denied and the applicant will be so notified. The
applicant may request a .hearing on the denied application by
filing Form N-336, "Request for Hearing on a Decision in
Naturalization Proceedings Under Section 335 of the Act,"
according to instructions included on the form, and with the
required fee.

Oath Ceremony

After the examination has been completed and the
application approved, the applicant will be notified to appear
at an oath ceremony where the applicant will be sworn in as a
citizen of the United States. The applicant may be able to
choose to be sworn in as a citizen by a Service officer in a
Service-conducted ceremony or by a judge of a competent court
in a court-conducted ceremony. In the event that the applicant
wishes to apply for a change of name, the applicant will be
required to appear at a court-conducted oath ceremony.
Sometimes an applicant for naturalization is prevented by
sickness or physical disability from appearing before an
examining officer. When this happens, it may be possible to
make other arrangements so that the applicant will not have to
travel to a Service office or to appear in court. Further
information about what should be done by such a person to
become naturalized can be obtained from the nearest office of
the Immigration and Naturalization Service.
When the applicant appears at the oath ceremony, he or she
takes an oath of allegiance to the United States. In doing so,
he or she gives up allegiance to any foreign country and
promises to support and defend the Constitution and laws of the
United States.
When a large number of persons become citizens in a
ceremony, it may not be possible to issue certificates
immediately showing that they have been granted citizenship. In
such instances, the certificates of naturalization are mailed
to them later, or other arrangements for subsequent delivery
are made.

General Naturalization Requirements
Part 3

Applicants must be present in the United States, and must
meet every requirement for naturalization in this Part and Part
2, unless they are persons who fall within special classes that
are exempt from some of those requirements. These special
classes are discussed in Part 4. The basic requirements for
naturalization are set out below.

Age

A person must be at least 18 years of age before he or she
can apply for naturalization.

Lawful Admission

Only an alien who has been lawfully admitted to this
country for permanent residence can be naturalized. This means
that the alien must have been lawfully allowed to live
permanently in this country as an immigrant. Not all aliens in
the United States have been given this privilege. Some, for
example, visitors, students, and seamen, have been allowed to
come into this country only temporarily and, therefore, cannot
lawfully remain here permanently. These persons do not meet the
requirements of this paragraph. Neither does an alien who
succeeded in getting into the United States unlawfully, such as
by hiding convictions for serious crimes, or by deserting a
ship, or by sneaking into the United States.
An alien who has been allowed to live here permanently as
an immigrant loses that privilege, as well as the privilege of
becoming naturalized, if he or she leaves the United States
with the intention of abandoning residence in this country.
Caution: An alien who has been admitted to the United
States for permanent residence and who established residence in
the United States may choose to be treated as a nonresident
alien for the purpose of gaining certain benefits under the
income tax laws. In order to become a nonresident alien for
that purpose, the alien must leave the United States and in
doing so must intend to abandon residence in the United States.
The intent to abandon may be formed also after the alien has
left the United States.
An alien who chooses to become a nonresident for tax
purposes may be considered as having also given up and lost his
or her status as an immigrant under the immigration and
naturalization laws. This could mean that the alien may become
ineligible for an immigrant visa, or a reentry permit or other
document, for which permanent residents are eligible; may
become inadmissible to the United States if seeking readmission
as a returning resident with a reentry permit, an alien
registration receipt card or a returning resident visa; and may
become ineligible for naturalization.
Aliens should give careful consideration to the possible
consequences mentioned above, before deciding to claim
nonresident alien status for tax purposes.

Residence and Physical Presence

After an applicant has been admitted for permanent
residence, he or she must reside in the United States
continuously for at least five years just before filing an
application for naturalization with the Service.
At least the last three months of that five years'
residence, immediately before the filing of the application,
must also be residence in the State or Service district where
the application is being filed.
The applicant is not obliged to stay in the United States
during every day of the five-year period. Short visits may be
made outside the United States, either before or after applying
for naturalization, and may include as part of the required
five years' residence the time absent. However, the applicant
must be sure that:
(a) he or she is not absent for a continuous period of one
year or more and
(b) he or she is not out of the United States for a total of
more than 30 months during the last five years.
Generally, if the applicant is absent for one year or more
at any one time during the five-year period just before filing
the application, he or she breaks naturalization residence and
must complete a new period of residence after returning to the
United States. This means that he or she will have to wait at
least four years and one day after coming back before he or she
can be naturalized. Furthermore, if during the five-year period
he or she has been absent for a total of more than 30 months,
he or she will have to stay in the United States until he or
she has been physically present for at least a total of 30
months out of the last five years just before filing an
application for naturalization.

Permission to be Absent

Under certain circumstances, persons and their dependents
who expect to be continuously absent from the United States for
a year or more in work within one of the below listed classes
may be given permission to be absent without breaking their
naturalization residence. To obtain this permission, an
application must be made on Form N-470, "Application to
Preserve Residence for Naturalization Purposes," in accordance
with the instruction on the form. The fee must be submitted
with the form. No currency should be sent in the mail.
Persons and dependent members of their households who may
qualify for this permission fall into three categories as
discussed below. It should be particularly noted that there are
important differences between the classes with regard to what
is necessary to be eligible for the permission, when the
application must be made, and whether the person may be
considered to be physically present as well as residing in the
United States during the absence.
(a) Employment by American Organizations. Such organizations
include:
(1) American firms or corporations, or their subsidiaries,
which are developing foreign trade and commerce of the
United States.
(2) American institutions of research recognized by the
Attorney General.
(3) Certain public international organizations in which
the United States takes part.
To be eligible to obtain permission, employees within this
class must first have been physically present in the
United States for an uninterrupted period of at least one
year after their lawful admission for permanent residence.
If possible, the application for permission should be
filed before the applicant leaves the United States. It
must be filed before the applicant has already broken
residence by being continuously absent from the United
States for as much as one year. It must be filed even
though the employee has been issued a reentry permit to
use to come back to the United States after the absence.
The reentry permit alone is not enough to protect
naturalization residence. Unless the application is filed
and approved by the Immigration and Nationalization
Service, absence for a year or more will break
naturalization residence even though the absence may have
been for employment by one of the above organizations.
Notwithstanding the fact that the Immigration and
Naturalization Service may have granted permission for the
absence and, therefore, the applicant's naturalization
residence remains unbroken by the absence of a year or
more, employees within this class cannot include the time
they are absent as any part of the 30 months' physical
presence required to qualify for naturalization. Care must
be taken, therefore, to have been actually physically
present in the United States for not less than 30 months
of the five years just before filing applications for
naturalization. The benefit of this section includes the
applicant, the spouse and dependent unmarried sons and
daughters.
(b) Employment by the United States Government. The
requirements to obtain permission to be absent and the
benefits of being granted permission are the same for
United States Government employees and their dependents as
for the employees of American organizations above, with
one exception:
Government employees are regarded as physically present in
the United States during the time they are absent with the
required permission. They may include, therefore, as part
of the 30 months' physical presence for naturalization
purposes the time that, with permission, they are absent
in Government employment.
Government employees who are to be absent for continuous
periods less than one year do not have to apply for
permission to be absent, and may count each continuous
period of less than one year abroad toward the thirty
months that they must be physically present in the United
States.
(c) Service for Religious Organizations. Persons engaged
abroad as priests, ministers, missionaries, brothers,
nuns, or sisters by a religious denomination or
interdenominational mission organization which has an
organization in the United States and who are granted
permission to cover the absence enjoy the same benefits
that are granted to Government employees, including the
right to count as physical presence in the United States
the time they are absent with permission.
Persons within this class have the additional privilege of
applying for permission to cover the absence at any. time.
They may also be granted permission to be absent even
though they have not yet completed a year of uninterrupted
physical presence in the United States after their lawful
admission for permanent residence. If they have not
completed this year of uninterrupted physical presence,
however, they must complete at least one year of
uninterrupted physical presence in the United States
before they can file their applications for
naturalization. The benefit of this section is limited to
the applicant.

Character and Loyalty

An applicant for naturalization must show that, during all
of the five years just before filing an application for
naturalization, and up until he or she is sworn in as a
citizen, he or she has been a person of good moral character
who believes in the principles of the Constitution of the
United States and is favorable to the good order and happiness
of the United States.
The naturalization law states that an applicant for
naturalization cannot be considered to be of good moral
character if he or she comes within any of the following
classes at any time during the five-year period and up until
becoming naturalized:
(a) Habitual drunkards;
(b) Polygamists, persons connected with prostitution or
narcotics, criminals;
(c) Convicted gamblers, persons getting their principal income
from gambling;
(d) Persons who lie under oath to gain a benefit under the
immigration or naturalization laws;
(e) Persons convicted and jailed for as much as 180 days.
A person also can never become a citizen if he or she has
been convicted of murder or an aggravated felony at any time.
The disqualifications listed above are not the only
reasons for which a person may be found to lack good moral
character. Other types of behavior may be taken into
consideration by the Service officer in deciding whether or not
an applicant has the good moral character required to become a
citizen.
Aliens who have refused to performed their duties to serve
in the armed forces of the United States may also be denied
citizenship. These include persons who have been convicted of
deserting or evading service in the armed forces of the United
States during time of war, as well as persons who applied for
and were given exemption from service on the ground that they
were aliens.

Communist Party and Similar Membership

A person cannot become a citizen who, at any time during a
period of ten years just before filing an application for
naturalization, has been a member of or connected with the
Communist Party or a similar party within or outside the United
States; or a member of or connected with any other party or
organization that is against all organized government or for
world communism, dictatorship in the United States,
overthrowing the United States Government by force, injuring or
killing officers of the United States, or sabotage.
If the membership or connection with any of these parties
or organizations during the ten-year period was involuntary, or
before 16 years of age, or compelled by law, or to get
employment, food or the necessities of life, the person may
become a citizen if no longer a member of or otherwise
connected with the party or organization.

Deportation

A person who has broken the immigration laws and as a
result is under a deportation order cannot be naturalized. This
provision may not apply to a person who is applying for
naturalization based upon his or her military service.

Literacy and Educational Requirements

Unless physically unable to do so, an applicant for
naturalization must be able to speak and understand simple
English as well as read and write it. However, if on the date
of the examination the applicant is more than 50 years of age
and has been a lawful permanent resident for 20 years or more,
or the applicant is more than 55 years of age and has been a
lawful permanent resident for 15 years or more, the applicant
will be exempt from the English language requirement of the
law. If exempt, the applicant may take the examination in any
language.
All applicants physically able to write, must also be able
to sign their names in the English language. However, the
person mentioned above who is excused from knowing English is
permitted to sign in a foreign language if unable to sign in
English.
Every person applying for naturalization, including the
persons mentioned above, must pass an examination showing that
he or she is knowledgeable about the history and form of
government of the United States. There are no exceptions to
this requirement. The examination on these matters and on
English is given by a naturalization examiner at the time the
applicant appears for the examination on the application for
naturalization. The questions the examiner asks are in simple
English and to be able to answer them requires knowledge only
of subjects that anyone who has really tried to learn will be
familiar with.
The Service recognizes certain standardized English
Language/Citizenship tests from private test givers that an
applicant may take at approved testing sites. The applicant may
take the test several times until achieving a passing grade.
The Service is not advised of the identities of those persons
who do not pass the test, and failure of this test does not
have any effect in the applicant's ability to retake this
alternative test or be tested by a Service officer. The
successful results are transmitted to the Service. However, an
applicant must submit a copy of his/her test results with the
application. The test would be taken in place of the test given
by a Service officer.
The applicant would still be examined by a Service officer
on the contents of the application and the ability to speak
English.
In many places the public schools, as well as other
community groups, have citizenship classes to prepare persons
to become citizens. Certain educational institutions also offer
courses by mail for persons who want to study under their
supervision at home instead of in school. The nearest
Immigration and Naturalization Service office can furnish
information about the correspondence courses. The Federal
Government also publishes textbooks to aid applicants for
naturalization in studying to become citizens. It is upon the
information in these books that the examination on history and
government is given. Applicants who attend citizenship classes
in public schools or who are studying by mail receive these
books from the schools without charge. The books can also be
bought directly from the Superintendent of Documents,
Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402, and can be
used to study privately at home instead of under the
supervision of a school.
Form M-132, "Information Concerning Citizenship Education
to Meet Naturalization Requirements," contains more
information about the Federal Textbooks on Citizenship and
courses that can be taken by mail. This form can be obtained
without charge from the nearest office of the Immigration and
Naturalization Service.

Oath of Allegiance

Before being admitted to citizenship (unless a child is
too young to understand), an applicant for naturalization must
give up any foreign allegiance and any foreign title and must
promise to obey the Constitution and laws of the United States.
Unless it is against his or her religious beliefs, the
applicant must also promise to bear arms or fight for the
United States, to perform other types of service in the armed
forces of the United States, and to do work of importance to
the national interest when asked to do so.
If it is against the religious beliefs of a person to
fight for the United States or to perform other types of
service in the armed forces of the United States, that person
can be excused from promising to do these things and may become
naturalized without making such a promise. However, the person
cannot be excused from promising to do work as a civilian which
is important to the nation.

Naturalization Requirements for Special Classes
Part 4

This part discusses special classes of persons who may
become naturalized even though they cannot meet all of the
requirements mentioned in Parts 2 and 3 of this pamphlet. This
part will list under each class the particular exemptions for
that class. Unless so listed, an applicant who comes within a
special class generally must still meet the requirements and
follow the procedures mentioned in Parts 2 and 3.

Wives and Husbands of United States Citizens

A person who is married to a citizen of the United States
may become naturalized in the same way as any other alien or
may take advantage of special naturalization exemptions that
are granted to the spouse of a citizen of the United States.
These exemptions fall into two classes, the first is granted
simply because of the relationship to a citizen and the second
is granted because of the relationship to a citizen who is
stationed abroad. Both of these classes are discussed below.

Marriage to a Citizen

An applicant:
(1) whose spouse has been a citizen of the United States for
at least three years; and
(2) who has been married to and living with the citizen spouse
for at least the three-year period just before the date of
filing an application for naturalization may become a
citizen of the United States upon meeting all of the
requirements for naturalization in Parts 2 and 3 except:
Instead of five years' residence and 30 months' physical
presence, the applicant must reside in the United States
for only three years after being lawfully admitted for
permanent residence and just before filing the
application. For at least one-half of that three-year
period, or 18 months, the applicant must have been present
in person in the United States.

Marriage to a Citizen Stationed Abroad

An applicant:
(1) whose spouse is a citizen of the United States working or
serving in a foreign country for one of the reasons below;
(2) who, upon becoming naturalized, will live abroad with the
citizen spouse; and
(3) who will again reside in the United States as soon as the
foreign work or service of the citizen spouse ends may
become a citizen of the United States if all the
requirements for naturalization in Parts 2 and 3 are met
except:
(a) the application does not have to be filed in the place
where the applicant lives, but may be filed in any Service
office; and
(b) the applicant may be naturalized without having
resided in the United States or any State, and without
having been physically present in the United States, for
any particular length of time after being lawfully
admitted for permanent residence.
Generally, if the applicant is absent for one year or more
at any one time during the three-year period just before-filing
the application, he or she breaks naturalization residence and
must complete a new period of residence after returning to the
United States. This means that he or she will have to wait at
least 2 years and 1 day after coming back before he or she can
be naturalized. Furthermore. if during the three-year period he
or she has been absent for a total of more than 18 months, he
or she will have to stay in the United States until he or she
has been physically present for at least a total of 18 months
out of the last three years just before filing an application
for naturalization.

Overseas assignment of Citizen Spouse

For the applicant to qualify for the exceptions mentioned
previously, the citizen spouse must be working or serving in
the foreign country:
(1) in the employment of the United States Government
(including service in the armed forces of the United
States);
(2) in the employment of an American institution of research
recognized by the Attorney General;
(3) in the employment of an American firm or corporation, or
its subsidiary, which is developing the foreign trade of
the United States;
(4) in the employment of certain public international
organizations in which the United States takes part;
(5) under authority to perform the functions of a minister or
priest of a religious denomination having an organization
within the United States; or
(6) under an engagement solely as a missionary by a religious
denomination or by an interdenominational mission
organization having an organization within the United
States.
The applicant must include with the application a written
statement indicating that the citizen spouse's employment meets
these qualifications, that the applicant intends to reside
abroad with the citizen spouse, and that the applicant intends
to take up residence within the United States immediately upon
the termination of such employment abroad of the citizen
spouse.

Surviving Spouse of United States Citizen Service Member

Any person whose citizen spouse dies during a period of
honorable and active service in the armed forces of the United
States, and who was living in marital union with the citizen
spouse at the time of the service member's death, may become a
citizen of the United States if all the requirements in Parts 2
and 3 are met except:
(a) the application does not have to be filed in the place
where the applicant lives, but may be filed in any Service
office; and
(b) the applicant may be naturalized without having been
physically present in the United States for any particular
length of time after being lawfully admitted for permanent
residence.

Naturalization of Children of Citizen Parents

The fact that one or both parents may have been citizens
of the United States at the time of a child's birth in a
foreign country, or may have become naturalized citizens of the
United States after the child's birth is not enough in itself
to give United States Citizenship automatically to the child.
Additional conditions which must be satisfied by the parents
and child affect the question of whether the child becomes a
citizen. For more information on who is a citizen
automatically, please refer to Part 7, Certificates of
Citizenship for children and wives of citizens. A child who is
under 18 years of age and a lawful permanent resident, who is
not a citizen automatically through the parents, may
nevertheless become a citizen if an application for
naturalization is filed by the citizen parent on behalf of the
child under certain conditions.
(1) The citizen parent must file an "Application for
Naturalization," Form N-400, with the required fee.
(2) The child is required to submit a fingerprint chart, Form
FD-258, if 14 years of age or older.
(3) The child's naturalization -- admission to citizenship
-- must be completed before the child's 18th birthday.
The child and a parent (not necessarily the parent who
filed the application on behalf of the child) would be required
to appear at an oath ceremony to be administered the oath of
allegiance, unless the child is of tender years, in which case
the administration of the oath may be waived.
The child does not have to:
(1) speak, read, or write English;
(2) know about the history and form of government of the
United States; or
(3) have lived or been physically present in the United States
or in a State for any particular length of time after
admission for permanent residence.

Naturalization of Adopted Children of Citizen Parents

A child who is adopted by a citizen parent or parents does
not automatically become a United States citizen.
A child adopted either in the United States or abroad by
two citizen parents (or only one parent if the parent is
unmarried) and admitted to the United States as a lawful
permanent resident before reaching the age of 18 years may
naturalize if the child:
(1) is under 18 years of age;
(2) was adopted before reaching the age of 16 by the citizen
parent(s);
(3) is residing in the United States in the custody of the
adopting citizen parent(s), pursuant to a lawful admission
for permanent residence;
(4) at least one of the citizen parents files Form N-643,
"Application for Certificate of Citizenship in Behalf of
an Adopted Child," before the child reaches the age of 18,
with the Immigration and Naturalization Service; and
(5) the parents are be citizens at the time of filing the
application.
The child is not a citizen until the N-643 is approved.
The child may also be naturalized under the procures
outlined in the section entitled Naturalization of Children.
This would be the only procedure available if the parents wish
to change the child name as a part of the naturalization or if
the adoptive parents are married and only one is a United
States citizen.

Former United States Citizens

The only former citizens of the United States who are
granted any exceptions from the requirements for naturalization
in Pads 2 and 3 are persons who lost their United States
citizenship during World War II as a result of service in the
armed forces of certain foreign countries and women who lost
their United States citizenship as a result of marriage to
aliens. Both of these classes are discussed below:

Veterans of Foreign Armed Forces

Any person who:
(1) lost United States citizenship between September 1, 1939
and September 2, 1945;
(2) as a result of service between September 1, 1939 and
September 2, 1945 in the armed forces of a foreign
country; and
(3) fought against a country with which the United States was
at war after December 7, 1941 and before September 2,
1945, may become a citizen of the United States if he or
she meets all of the requirements for naturalization in
Parts 2 and 3 except:
(a) the application for naturalization does not have to be
filed in the place where he or she lives, but it can be
filed in any Service office; and
(b) he or she can be naturalized without having resided
and without" having been physically present in the United
States or any State for any particular length of time
after admission for permanent residence.

American Women Who Married Aliens

As a general rule, a woman automatically lost her United
States citizenship if, before September 22, 1922, she married
an alien, or her husband was naturalized in a foreign country,
or if, between that date and March 3, 1931, she married an
alien who was not of the white race or African race. In each of
these instances, she lost her citizenship if she entered into
the marriage with the intention of relinquishing her United
States citizenship.
If citizenship was lost by such marriage, there are
simplified ways in which United States citizenship and the
rights of citizenship may be regained. However, not all cases
follow the same procedure. For example, some women who were
native-born citizens and whose marriages either ended before
January 13, 1941, or who remained in the United States after
the marriages, have been automatically given back their United
States citizenship, but they must take an oath of allegiance to
the United States before they can do what only a citizen can
do, such as vote. Others must file an application for
naturalization in order to get back their United States
citizenship, but they are exempt from some of the requirements
in Parts 2 and 3, such as from any particular period of
residence and physical presence in the United States.
Any woman who was the wife of an alien at any time during
the periods stated above and who wants advice about her
citizenship may get it at the nearest office of the Immigration
and Naturalization Service or, if she is abroad, at the nearest
American Consulate.

Service Members of the Military or Veterans

An alien who has served or is serving in .the armed forces
of the United States does not automatically become a citizen of
the United States. Like other aliens, such alien must apply for
naturalization and be admitted to citizenship. However,
depending upon such matters as the period during which he or
she served, the length of service, and other factors which will
be mentioned below- he or she may be exempt from some of the
requirements other aliens must meet.

Military Service During Certain Periods

A person who has served honorably and actively in the
armed forces of the United States, no matter how briefly,
during any part of the periods:
(a) April 6, 1917 to November 11, 1918;
(b) September 1, 1939 to December 31, 1946;
(c) June 25, 1950 to July 1, 1955;
(d) February 28, 1961, to October 15, 1978; or
(e) October 25, 1983 to November 2, 1983 (for qualifying
active duty in the geographic area of Grenada campaign),
and who is not within any of the below listed ineligible
classes is exempt from the following requirements.
(1) No lawful admission for permanent residence is required if
he or she was inducted, enlisted or reenlisted at any time
in the United States, the Panama Canal Zone, American
Samoa, or Swains Island. If he or she did not at any time
enter into such armed forces in one of the places
mentioned he or she must have been lawfully admitted for
permanent residence before he or she can be naturalized.
(2) He or she need not have resided or been physically present
in the United States or any State for any particular
length of time.
(3) He or she does not have to file the application in the
place where he or she lives, but can file it in any
Service office.
(4) He or she may be naturalized regardless of the fact that
the person has been ordered deported from the United
States.

Ineligible Service Members

The following persons do not qualify for the special
naturalization exemptions discussed immediately above:
(1) veterans who were discharged at their request because of
alienage;
(2) conscientious objectors who performed no military duty
whatever or refused to wear the uniform; or
(3) veterans who were once naturalized on the basis of the
same period of military service and have since lost their
citizenship.
The fact that a person is ineligible for naturalization as
such a veteran does not mean that he or she may not be
naturalized under the general naturalization laws applicable to
other classes of aliens. He or she may still qualify for
naturalization if able to meet the naturalization requirements
applicable to other aliens.

Service for Three Years

Veterans who have been lawfully admitted to the United
States for permanent residence and who have served honorably at
any time for as much as three years, and who have received an
honorable discharge, are entitled to certain exemptions from
the requirements stated in Parts 2 and 3 if they come within
one of the following classes:
(1) When Three Years' Service Continuous. A person who has
served honorably at any time in the armed forces of the
United States for a continuous period of three years and
who applies for naturalization while still in the service
or not later than six months after discharge from service
may be naturalized:
(a) without having resided and without having been
physically present in the United States for any
particular length of time;
(b) without filing the application for naturalization in
the place of residence, it may be filed in any Service
office; and
(c) regardless of the fact that the person has been
ordered deported from the United States.
(2) When Three Years' Service Not Continuous. A person who has
served honorably at any time for three years but whose
service is made up of short periods of service, instead of
one continuous period, and who applies for naturalization
while still in the service or not later than six months
after discharge from service is entitled to the exemptions
stated in (b) and (c) immediately above. However, for any
part of the five years just before he or she files the
application for naturalization and which is between the
periods of service, he or she will have to prove residence
and the other qualifications for naturalization.
(3) Application Made More Than Six Months After Service Ends.
A person who has the three years of honorable service but
who fails to apply for naturalization until more than six
months after such service has ended is not qualified for
the exemptions stated in (1) above and must comply with
all the requirements in Parts 2 and 3 except that:
(a) all service within five years of the date when filing
the application is considered residence and physical
presence in the United States; and
(b) the fact that the person has been ordered deported
from the United States does not in itself bar him or her
from becoming a citizen.
If a service member for any reason is unable to qualify
for the exemptions given to these veterans he or she may
nevertheless be naturalized under the naturalization laws
applicable to other classes of aliens if those requirements are
met.
Note to persons with three years of service who must apply
for naturalization within six months after discharge: the
application must be filed with the Service office within the
six month period.

Mariners

A merchant mariner whose employment aboard a vessel
requires absence from the United States is exempt in part from
the general residence and physical presence requirements for
naturalization. He or she has the right to count the time of
service as a merchant mariner outside the United States if such
service was not as a member of the armed forces of the United
States and it meets the-below listed conditions.
(1) It was performed on board a vessel:
(a) operated by the United States or one of its agencies
and owned by the United States;
(b) with its home port in the United States and registered
under the laws of the United States; or
(c) with its home port in the United States and owned by a
citizen of the United States or a corporation organized
under the laws of a State.
(2) It was performed:
(a) honorably or with good conduct;
(b) after lawful admission to the United Sites for
permanent residence; and
(c) within five years of the date of filing the
application for naturalization.

Employees of Organizations Promoting United States Interests
Abroad

A person who has been lawfully admitted to this country
for permanent residence and who thereafter is employed abroad
by a United States incorporated nonprofit organization which is
principally engaged in conducting abroad through communications
media the dissemination of information which significantly
promotes United States interests abroad and which is recognized
as such by the Attorney General, may take advantage of special
naturalization exemptions. Examples of such an organization are
Radio Free Europe, Inc., Radio Liberty Committee, and Radio
Marti.
Such a person is not required to reside or to be
physically present in the United States (see pages 7, 8, 9, and
10) for any particular period of time before becoming a
citizen, if the following conditions are met
(1) he or she has been employed by the organization
continuously for at least five years after becoming a
permanent resident;
(2) the application is filed with the Service office while the
applicant is still employed, or within six months after
leaving such employment; and
(3) upon becoming a citizen, the employee must intend to take
up residence in this country as soon as the foreign
employment ends. If the applicant is no longer employed by
the organization at the time of filing the application,
then he or she must intend to continue living in the
United States upon becoming a citizen.

Posthumous Citizenship

Posthumous citizenship may be granted to an alien or
noncitizen national of the United States who died as a result
of injury or disease incurred in, or aggravated by service, in
the United States Armed Forces during a specified period of
military hostilities.
This is an honorific action which does not confer any
benefits nor make applicable any provision of the Immigration
and Nationality Act to the surviving spouse, parent, son,
daughter, or other relative of the decedent.
The decedent's nearest relative, or a properly appointed
representative, may request this benefit on Form N-644,
"Application for Posthumous Citizenship," with the required
fee.

Naturalization and Citizenship Paper Lost, Mutilated or
Destroyed, or Where Name has been Changed
Part 5

A person whose "Declaration of Intention" or whose
certificate of naturalization/citizenship has been lost,
mutilated or destroyed, or naturalized person whose name has
been changed by a court or by marriage after naturalization,
may apply for a new declaration or certificate. The
application, Form N-565 "Application for a New Naturalization
or Citizenship Document," can be obtained without charge from
the nearest office of the Immigration and Naturalization
Service. It should be filled out, following the instructions
and then taken or mailed to that office with the required
photographs and fee. No currency should be sent in the mail.
That office will then take the action necessary with regard to
issuing the new document and will inform the applicant further.

Declaration of Intention
Part 6

Before the present naturalization law came into effect on
December 24, 1952, persons generally were required to file a
declaration of intention to become a citizen of the United
States -- which was known as the "first paper" -- and then had
to wait for not less than two years before they could take the
next step toward becoming a citizen of the United States, that
is, before they could file a petition for naturalization. Since
1952 a declaration of intention is no longer required before a
person can become a citizen, and an application for
naturalization may be filed as soon as the required residence
and other qualifications for citizenship have been met.
The law still permits the "Declaration of Intention," to
be filed, if one is needed for such reasons as getting certain
employment or license of some kind. The only requirements are
that the person be at least 18 years old and lawfully admitted
to the United States for permanent residence. The declaration
may be filed at any time after admission for permanent
residence and in any Service office.
The person is not required to be able to read, write, and
speak English or to pass any examination on the history and
form of government of the United States, and he or she may sign
the declaration in amy language or by mark.
The application is Form N-300, "Application to File
Declaration of Intention." This form may be obtained from the
nearest office of the Immigration and Naturalization Service
or, possibly, from a social service agency in the community. It
is filed with the nearest office of the Immigration and
Naturalization Service. Form N-300 requires three photographs
and payment of a fee as described in the application.

Certificates of Citizenship for Children and Wives of Citizens
Part 7

Many persons, though not born in the United States or ever
naturalized as United States citizens, may be citizens as a
result of their-relationship to a United States citizen. The
conditions under which a person may have become a citizen have
varied from time to time and, therefore, differ so much from
case to case that they cannot all be presented in detail within
this pamphlet. However, we will attempt to identify the general
rules of acquiring citizenship through a parent or spouse.
A child born in a foreign country of one or two United
States citizen parents may acquire United States citizenship
automatically at birth if certain conditions are fulfilled:
(1) both parents are United States citizens at the time of the
child's birth and one of the parents has resided for any
length of time in the United States or its outlying
possessions before the child's birth;
(2) one parent is a United States citizen and the other is
an alien and the citizen parent was physically present in
the United States or its outlying possessions for a period
or periods totaling 5 years before the child's birth, and
at least two of those five years were after the citizen
parent was 14 years old. If a child was born before
November 14, 1986, these physical presence requirements
for the parent are different, generally, at least ten
years of physical presence is required; and
(3) time served abroad in the following capacities can be
counted by the citizen parent in order to satisfy the
requirement of prior physical presence in the United
States:
(a) honorable service in the United States armed forces;
(b) employment by the United States government;
(c) employment by an international organization associated
with the United States; and
(d) physical presence abroad as a dependent unmarried son
or daughter and member of the household of a person
employed abroad in one of the above categories.
It must be noted that the laws in effect at the time of
birth of the child will determine whether acquisition will
occur. In addition, different rules may apply if a child was
born illegitimate.
As discussed in part 2, a child born in a foreign country
of alien parents, or adopted by alien parents, may have become
a United States citizen automatically after birth, without
having himself or herself applied for naturalization, if one or
both of his or her parents became naturalized before the child
reaches a certain age It must be noted that the law in effect
at the time of the parent's naturalization will determine if
the child becomes a citizen.
Currently, a child who is a lawful permanent resident,
under 18 years of age and unmarried may automatically derive
citizenship of the United States through the parents under
certain conditions:
(1) a child whose parents are lawful permanent residents
becomes a United States citizen-on the date that the last
parent is naturalized before the child's 18th birthday;
(2) a child who has one of the natural parents already a
citizen, and the other natural parent becomes naturalized
before the child's 18th birthday;
(3) a child whose surviving parent, or the parent
exercising legal custody where the parents are legally
separated or divorced, is naturalized before the child's
18th birthday, regardless whether the other parent was or
is an alien; or
(4) an illegitimate child whose mother naturalizes before the
child's 18th birthday and paternity has not been
established.
If only one of the child's parents naturalizes and the
other remains a permanent resident, the child does not derive
citizenship. Instead, the citizen parent may file a separate
Application for Naturalization (N-400) on behalf of the child
if the citizen parent wants the child to become a citizen
before the second parent naturalizes.
An adopted child, however, does NOT become a citizen of
the United States automatically, through adoption by citizen
parents. See the information in Part 4 regarding the
naturalization of adopted children.
Also, women who married citizens of the United States
before September 22, 1922, or whose husbands became citizens
during the marriage and before September 22, 1922, may have
automatically become citizens of the United States as a result
of their marriages. Consequently, persons who need additional
information along these lines should communicate with any
office of the Immigration and Naturalization Service.
Persons who have become citizens automatically may be
issued certificates of citizenship by the Immigration and
Naturalization Service in their own names, showing that they
are citizens through their husbands or parents. A person who
desires to obtain such a certificate (including a parent or
guardian of a child too young to act for himself or herself)
may submit an application on Form N-600, "Application for
Certificate of Citizenship," to the nearest office of the
Immigration and Naturalization Service. The filing of the
application is an entirely voluntary matter, however, and the
failure to submit it does not in any way affect a person's
citizenship.
The applicant should be prepared to submit in connection
with the application evidence of birth, marriage, death,
divorce, and other essential matters in the form of
certificates or documents which will prove the claim to
citizenship through marriage or through parents. Detailed
instructions regarding the nature of the proof needed in each
case are included in the application form.

Legalizing Stay In the United States
Part 8

In the cases of some foreign-born persons who are in the
United States, them are no records showing admission for
permanent residence, or at least no records can be found. These
persons may have been brought here during childhood and may
never have known just when or how they came; or they may have
come here as visitors or other temporary nonimmigrant class and
decided to stay; or they may have entered unlawfully.
Since no records of lawful admission for permanent
residence can be identified, they cannot become citizens of the
United States until such records have been made. An alien
eligible for citizenship and not within a class barred from the
United States under the immigration laws, such as criminals and
other immoral persons, subversives, smugglers, and persons
unlawfully connected with narcotics who have resided in the
United States since before January 1, 1972, can have a record
of lawful admission to the United States for permanent
residence created if they are persons of good moral character.
The application is Form I-485, "Application for Permanent
Residence." This form, together with information about the
procedure to be followed, may be obtained from the nearest
Immigration and Naturalization Service office. The required
fee, photographs and supporting documents must be filed with
the nearest Immigration and Naturalization Service office.
If an applicant can prove that he or she has been in the
United States since before July 1, 1924, the record of
admission will be made as of the date of actual entry into the
United States and he or she will be able to apply for
naturalization without completing any more residence in the
United States. If an applicant did not come to the United
States until on or after July 1, 1924 but before January 1,
1972, the record of admission will be made as of the date the
application is approved, and he or she will then have to
complete whatever additional residence and physical presence in
the United States are required for naturalization.
Persons who claim to have entered the United States on or
after January 1, 1972, should ask for information and advice
from the nearest office of the Immigration and Naturalization
Service or a social service agency.

Offices of the Immigration and Naturalization Service
Part 9

The following is a list of offices of the Immigration and
Naturalization Service from which information concerning matter
referred to in this pamphlet may be obtained. (* Indicates
District Offices):
Agana, Guam 96910 Charlotte, NC 28217
801 Pacific News Bldg., 6 Woodlawn Green,
238 O'Hara St. Room 138
Albany, NY 12207 *Chicago, IL 60604
James T. Foley Federal 10 West Jackson Blvd
Courthouse, Room 220
445 Broadway
Albuquerque, NM 87103 Cincinnati, OH 45202
517 Gold Ave. S.W., 550 Main Street,
Room 1010, P.O. Box 567 Room 8525
*Anchorage, AK 99501 *Cleveland, OH 44199
7581 Anthony Celebreeze
620 East 10th Ave., Federal Building
Suite 102 1240 E. 9th Street,
Room 1917
Atlanta, GA 30303 *Dallas, TX 75247
77 Forsyth Street, S.W. 8101 N. Stemmons
Room G-85 Freeway
*Baltimore, MD 21201 *Denver,CO 80239-2804
Equitable Tower 4730 Paris Street
100 South Charles, Albrook Center
12th Floor
*Boston, MA 02203 *Detroit, MI 48207-4381
JFK Federal Building 333 Mt. Elliott St.
Government Center
*Buffalo, NY 14202 *El Paso,TX 79901
68 Court Street 700 E. San Antonio St.
P.O. Box 9398-79984
Fresno, CA 93721-2816 *Los Angeles, CA
865 Fulton Mall 90012
300 N. Los Angeles
Street
*Harlingen, TX 78550 Louisville, KY 40202
2102 Teege Road Room 604, Gene
Snyder Courthouse
601 West Broadway
Hartford, CT 06103-3060 Memphis, TN 38103-
Ribicoff Federal Bldg 3815
450 Main Street 245 Wagner Place
Suite 250
*Helena, MT 59626 *Miami, FL 33138
Federal Bldg., Rm 512 7880 Biscayne Blvd.
301 South Park, Drawer
10036
*Honolulu, HI 96813 Milwaukee, WI 53202
595 Ala Moana Blvd. Federal Building,
Room 186
517 E. Wisconsin Av.
*Houston, TX 77060
509 North Belt
Indianapolis,IN 46204 *Newark, NJ 07102
Gateway Plaza, Room 400 Federal Bldg.,
950 North Meridian St. 970 Broad Street
Jacksonville, FL 32202 *New Orleans, LA
400 West Bay Street 70113
Room G-18 Postal Service Bldg.
P.O. Box 35029 701 Loyola Avenue
Room T-8005
*Kansas City, MO 64153
9747 North Conant Ave. *New York, NY 10278
26 Federal Plaza
Las Vegas, NV 89101
300 Las Vegas Blvd.
Room 1430
Norfolk, VA 23510 Sacramento, CA 95814
Norfolk Fed. Bldg. 711 "J" Street
200 Granby Mall
Room 439
Oklahoma City, OK Salt Lake City, UT
73108 84101
149 Highline Blvd. 230 W. 400 South St
Suite 300
*San Antonio, TX
*Omaha, NE 68144 78239
3736 South 8940 Fourwinds Drive
132nd St.
* San Diego, CA
*Philadelphia, PA 92188
19130 880 Frnot Street
1600 Callowhill St

*Phoenix, AZ 85004 * San Francisco, CA
2035 N. Central Ave. 94111-2280
630 Sansome Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
RM 2130 Federal Bldg. San Jose, CA 95113
1000 Liberty Avenue 280 South First St.
Room 1150
* Portland, ME 04103
739 Warren Avenue *San Juan, PR 00936
P.O. Box 365068
* Portland, OR 97209
Federal Office Bldg. *Seattle, WA 98134
511 N.W. Broadway 815 Airport Way, S.
Providence, RI 02903 Spokane, WA 99201
203 John O. Pastors 691 U.S. Courthouse
Federal Building Building
Reno, NV 89502 St. Albans, VT 05478
712 Mill Street Federal Building
P.O. Box 328
St. Louis, MO 63103-2815
Robert A. Young
Federal. Building
1222 Spruce Street
*St. Paul
Bloomington, MN 55425
2901 Metro Drive
Suite 100
Tampa, FL 33609
5509 W. Gray Street
Suite 113
*Washington, DC
Arlington, VA 22203
4420 N. Fairfax Dr.

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